Busy busy day

What a busy monday this will be and it is already half over!! I got up extra early to finish painting some signs for the next show and also some skates and a couple of  snowmen dolls that need finishing up.  The dolls are attached onto an old rusty bed spring so they will sit ontop of a tree or on a cabinet or even on a mantle. anywhere. 

I do alot of long signs with these guys all decorating trees and the middle one is reaching for a large special snowflake!   "Believe in the season".

Warm winter wishes sign.  I fell in love with the pale green backrounds last year and still love it. 

I have to send some pics of my works in progress to a show for verification of handmade not resale items.  I think that is a wonderful idea that way everyone is judged on handmade quality items.  And it is truly made locally!! 

So  I remembered to take pics while working on a couple of snowmen signs.  My absolute favo thing to paint!

And I do think this one is my favo right now!! I did a very light blue and ivory sponge technique on the backround, the barn red saltbox house just pops off the sign!! and there is a bit of "bling" on the roof edge and on the fence pieces.  Some great glitter flakes by Martha Stewart!! love that sparkle.

And best of all last night while driving back home I came across a sign along the road FREE STUFF

So I turned around to check out the goods!!  Found a cute little wood foot stool, a small cabinet with a little door and shelf behind, great for hidden treasures, and 5 great 4 ft tall old shutters from houses.  SO the shutters are already base coated and distressed outside just waiting for me to do my magic on em and that little cabinet will be the next thing to get a new coat of some paint.  Gee maybe even a sagey green?   Who knows until I get started it could turn out to be barn red or even black.???     What fun along the roadside!! LOL

 hope yall have a super duper sunshiney monday!!

It is 61 degrees out here right now!! YEAH!! YIPPEE!! beautiful day!!

HUGS

Darlene s

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Pics

The boxes of asst shortbread cookies for show today.

Made some kolachky with our homemade apricot preserves.  Nice dusting of powdered sugar finishes them great!

Here's my part of the booth.  I just took food stuff as my friend and I split the booth.

Ruth makes all herbal teas and homemade all natural soaps, and salves.  Her cold remedy salve is wonderful been using it alot lately!  And her sleep salve is the best!!  you rub a bit on the bottom of your feet before bedtime to help you relax and get a restful night's sleep. Lavender infused it smells wonderful!

I did some more dog cookies up but forgot them at home so they are already packed to go with me of cource if  I happen to forget them my boys will be happy!!! they are my quality assurance guys anyway and have to taste test everything for me!! except the chocolates of cource but I do usually make them their own treats to enjoy!! Last night they had some homemade gravy on their food and I wish I could have taken pics quick enuogh Buster and Barney both had dabs of gravy on their chins!  Too too cute!! Love these guys.  Buster I swear doesnt taste what he eats he just chows down, Barney usually eats kind of slow but Bubba! he savors every bite!! he is always the last one to finish and then goes to each other bowl and cleans em all out!! just in case there are any crumbs left!!   Ah my kids!!  and yes "dogs are just kids that eat off the floor!!"  LOL

We were about done and will only have a couple of touch ups to do this am before it opens.

Hope yall have a blessed weekend!! 

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

St. Joe Craft show today

Goodness we had snow flurries, sleet and wind and this am it's only 28 outside! BRRRRRR not ready for this yet!  Yesterday my friend Ruth and I set up at the ST. Joseph High School in St. Joe MI for their craft show today!!  There's over 100 booths and they all look just wonderful!! I will try to take some pics today but these are of our booth while settin up yesterday.  I love that you can just pull up to the door, there were kids helping unload then you drive off and today after the show they will help load everything for you when you are ready to leave.  I could so get used to that!!! THANK YOU ST. JOE LIONS CLUB!!!  
Well no pics right now blogger wont let me get to the upload page!! URGGGGGGGG! what the heck are they doin out there with this site!!  So I will post tomorrow.  CRAZY!! 

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cookies, Cookies and More COOKIES!!

Today was all about cookies!!  I did 6 batches of shortbread cookies, one was my newest! lemon poppyseed, a batch of very vanilla 1/2 dipped in melted chocolate with toasted hazelnut pieces on top, a batch of raspberry flavored with toasted almond pieces in them,2 of  just  plain and a batch of mini chocolate chip ones.   Chocolate chip cookies, my peanut butter whoopie pies, cranberry lemon pecan cookies,  some sugar cookies, some bears and flowers made into pops (sorry forgot to take pics of them they were the last to get baked) I will decorate them tomorrow and take pics.   Also I did some bacon dip mix and a herbed veggie dip mix.  My friend and I are having booths at the St. Joseph Lions club craft show this sat in St. Joe MI!!  I also made up some of my pumpkin spice dip and taffty apple dip so have for samples too!! 

And I made up some cookie boxes with some of the asst shortbreads.  Each box still needs to be dressed up with a lable and tag and probably some cute ribbons!

Here is an example of the boxes of astt shortbreads, youl get 3 of the big dipped cookies, 8 lemon poppyseed and 6 rasp almond.  A nice sampler box for a guick gift.

Here's a prebaked chocolate chip cookie!!

The first batch of cookies in the convection oven!

cranberry lemon pecan cookies using locally grown cranberries!

my hubbys absolute favo!! my  plain ol shortbread.  I just have to remember when makin them to OVERBAKE yepper I said overbake on these!! LOL he loves them on the dark side! 

These are quite tasty!! but I do love toasted hazelnuts with chocolate! 

Here was the first batches mixed up.

Some of the cookies like my peanut butter get a smooshin!!  LOL they just dont spread out too much and these are my whoopie pie ones so with just a tiny bit of presssure from my awesome expensive smoosher gadget!!  (a small bowl bottom)

  they are perfect!!

What a glorious day it was first my mom, brother and I went out to our favo place early this am IDA REDS in Saugatuck!! absolutely the best food ever!! and a very cute quaint spot to eat!! WE love goin there and usually I get an omlet since they are filled with such yummyness but today I tried something new!! their french toast!! Oh my goodness it was heavenly! Just the best ever!! great bread toasted just with the edges a bit crispy and the insides melt in your mouth yummo!!  Hold on taste buds!!

then after that I went to the kitchen and played with cookies!!  now I just have to get everything loaded in the trailer and ready to leave tomorrow afternoon to set everything up!! I will try my best to take the cam with and share pics!! 

Hope yall have a wonderfully blessed evening!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

What's good wed?

Buster Brown being silly and maybe a bit disgusted with his food bowl~~ we usually feed them at night when we eat supper and while eating Buster was showing us in his own way he wanted his NOW!! and I mean now after these pics he decided to pick up his bowl and throw it down on the floor!  He is so silly!! makes me laugh!!

My little silly boy Barney!!

This is Pete our shop dog who is actually more wolf than dog but boy is he a great watch dog!!  He LOVES my dad and my hubby but no one else can get near him at the shop!  And he just loves his squeaky toys, I get him a new one regularly and boy that dog keeps them nice and plays with them, unlike my boys who trash everything seconds after gettin them!!

This is litttle Precious the  grandparents baby!!  She is a stink pot and just adores grandma and grandpa!! oh and she is NOT spoiled at all!! LOL

And little Bubba laying on Busters bed in the sunshine!!  HE will lay in the warm sun for hours!    So  I thought everyone could use a smile today and these guys all make me smile!! 

Whats good today you ask??  THE ELECTIONS are over!~!  Oh my goodness my phone will never be the same!!  I am sure it will be happy and I am so glad not to see anymore backstabbing commercials!!   I read over at musingsbyroxie's blog that is it terrible all these phone calls and it is all automated!! not even realy people anymore!! THAT IS SO TRUE!!   Our phone company just changed to Frontier from verizon and oh my gosh!! what a mess to have to call them!!!  We had no phone line the other day just an open line all danged day too (one good thing though I didnt have to hear the campaining that day) anyway I tried several times to call and report the problem only to listed to minutes and minutes of an automated person tell me there appears to be nothing wrong!  I was so angry it would not let me speak to someone at all and then wanted me to go outside *(not in the rain though) and take the cover off of the box on the side of the house and check the wires!!!  WELLL I have news for them it WAS raining and I wasnt about to monkey around with stuff like that!!  So instead I had to keep calling on my cell phone rackin up minutes to keep reporting it and at the end the recording just kept telling me nothing is wrong and if we have to send a service tech out you will be charged fees!!! STUPID! what the heck has happened to customer service in this country!! And dish network is the worst for this too!! You are also dealing with all automated lines but when you do get to speak to someone a person who (no offense anyone) cannot barely speak english gets on the phone and you can barely understand what they are saying or talking so fast you miss things and have to keep asking what did u say?  STUPID again!!  I am just so sick of it!!   I take time to talk to my customers and thank them for any purchase or even if they come to my booth at markets and say hi and look around.  It only takes a second and a smile makes a huge impression if you ask me!! How many times have you been to a store, restraunt, or in a business and the person you deal directly with doesnt even say "thanks" when you spend your hard earned money at their establishment!!!???  Makes me sick!! The other day while shopping at a local grocery store I made my purchases and the cashier didnt say one word NOT one!! not even to tell me the amount of my purchases but upon leaving the store the little greeter guy at the door say "Thanks for shopping at Meijers today and have a great day"  I told him thank you very much for being so polite and his smile will keep bringing me back to this store! I will just be sure to use the self check out lane!! LOL
So with all that being said I am on a mission to tell people to just remember one thing a day!! SMILE to someone, anyone, a spouce, a child, a parent, a customer, a boss, a coworker, a stranger ANYONE!!  just make an effort to smile at someone!!! or if you dont come in contact with anyone smile at yourself in the mirror it will make you feel better!!! 
So have a wonderful fall wed yall!!
HUGS
Darlene
i am off to the kitchen to bake today!! YEAH!! YIPPEE!!YEE HAW!!play time!

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Terrific Tuesday

~WOW NOVEMBER 2nd already!! Goodness!!

This sign is almost finished and will have the saying "Believe in the season" on the top.

Gosh I still cannot figure out why my pics are flipping back to original after I rotate them and save!!???

This is a small standing block lamp that needs the hole drilled ontop yet and the candle light put in.  I think I am gonna go with all battery op lights so no plugs!!

One of 4 skates I am workin on in of cource that lovely green color again!! I basecoated a couple in a light soft blue too but am sure likin that green for snowmen!!

here is one of my snowmen that are made on top of an old rusty bed spring so they stand or can be a tree toppper also!!  Each one will hold a pot of pine sprigs and some berries and also a battery tea light.

Oh and here is my "mr boopie woopie boo" on the couch next too me under his blankie!! He is so funny, when I get up and head outside to do chores in the mornin he sneaks back into bed by daddy and his brother Bubba and hides under my pillow!  just his little nose sticks out! oh that's my baby!! 

I wanted to keep the packagin simple but still look like it could be a gift on my mixes and ended up doing this.  Just a simple paper sak, some scrapbook paper, gingham of cource!! LOL and a piece of homespun for a tie and a little tag to personallyze if ya want. 

My cobbler mixes which are so convient to use just add butter and fruit and your done! 

Here's my harvest time soup mix.  This is awesome!! filled with dried beans, peas, lentils, brown rice, egg noodles and seasonings, all you do is add meat and water and youre done!!  I like to put mine in a crock pot while we are sleeping then it is done in the mornin and it smells the whole house nice!! 

Oh and I had to make some toffee dipped pretzels for an order.  These are dipped in my homemade caramel then in milk chocolate then rolled in crushed toffee pieces!!  YUMMY~~

IF you want any pretzels the are $1.50 each and come with alot of different toppings: sprinlkes, crushed oreos, mini m&m's, crushed butterfinger bars, nuts, dried fruits n nuts, or german choc which has toasted coconut and pecans with the chocolate and caramel!! and another popular one is the crushed andes mint candies!

Just email me and I will fix ya right up and they make great gifts which I ship priority mail and dress the package up when it is for a gift and include a nice handmade gift tag!

It has been a busy tues!! but the sun is out and it really isnt too cold, it was this am though there was a layer of ice on the horses water trough so time to get out the water heater!!   I have been paintin and makin up my mixes gettin ready for our show this sat!!  St. Joseph MI this sat!!  So far this is what I have done today, this am I had to clean out all the water tanks and fill them for all the animals, mopped my kitchen floor, cleaned out all the nestin boxes in coop, gathered another 2 loads of kindling wood from the woods and then did some "me" paintin time!!  the best part of the day!   Tomorrow I am goin to the kitchen to work on cookies for the show and also maybe make some bread!!  and bread puddings~  I have fresh cranberries and want to do orange cranberry bread pudding with a creamy cinnamony nutmeg sauce!!  Will share more later!
Have a blessedly terrific tues yall!!
HUGS
Darlene
 ~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~